Sizer



Amay 30,1935. Q C, PAXTON megm SIZER Filed Sept. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented A,... 30, 1935 1,999,574

NITED STATES PATENT SIZER Gerald C. Paxton, Santa Ana, Calif., assigner to Paxton Credit Corporation, Santa Ana, Calif., a corporation of California application septemberA eclissi, serian No. 745,543

c claims. (ci. 209-106) My invention relates to devices for sizing roswing arms all are alike excepting that one is tatable objects and has particular utility in the right-hand and the other bis left-hand as infresh fruit packing industry for sizing oranges, dicated in Fig. 3. Each of the arms Sil has an lemons, apples, and the like. adjusting screw lug i3 extendingv upwardly and The principal object of this device is to proinwardly from the hub thereof. Extending for- 5 vide a szer which has a relatively large capacity. wardly from each of the lugs i3 is a screw lll A further object is to provide a sizer which is adapted to receive a wing nut t5. Freely rotatnot only fast but accurate in sizing. abe on the shafts 26 and 2l are adjusting cams A stillfurther object is to provide a sizer that il@ having quadrant slots lll through which the not only has ylarge capacityv and accuracy but screws lll extend to permit the wing nut 135 to 10 which handles the fruitgently and `thus elimilock the cams llt in any desired position relative nates bruises which decrease the marketable to the lugs t3 within the range of the slots lll. value of the fruit. Each of the cams le has a cam horn t8 and 'The manner of accomplishing the foregoing a handle t9, thesev cams being placed over the objects aswell as further objects and advantages Shafts 26 and 2l in reversed positions as clearly 15 will be made manifest in the following descrip- Seen in Figs. 1 and 3- PiVOtallY meurlted On each tion taken in connection with the accompanying 0f the arms 341 is a cam rocker 5t, these being in drawings, in. which: reversed positions so that upper arms 55 of these Fig. 1 is a side elevational viewof a preferred eXterld outwardly adjacent the cam horns t8 embodiment of my invention. and the lower arms 56 both extend inwardly and 20 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional there SUDDOI/ rollers 5l. View taken 0n the line 2 2 0f Fig, 1' FiXed upon the front ends 0f the Shafts 23 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view and 29 are cams 60, against the outer surfaces of taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. which the rollers 5l are maintained in contact Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view by a contractile spring 6l, opposite ends Of which 25 taken on the line l--tl of Fig. 2 and illustrating are connected to the arms Btl as clearly shown in one phase of the operation of the invention in Figs- 1 and 3- FiXed 0n the Shafts 28 and 29 bewhich the rollers are disposedclose together, just tween the frame plates l2 and i3 are rubber -nfollowing the feeding of fruit to the first sizing ger clean-out members 65 and 66. Fixed on the trough, rear end of the shaft 23 is a hub carrying 30 Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the sprockets 6l and 68. Mounted on the rear end of sizing of the fruit. the shaft 29 is a sprocket 69 which is connected Fig. 6 is a viewvsimilar to Fig. 4 illustrating the With the Sprocket 6l by a Chain l0, as indicated return of the rollers to closely related positions diagrammatieally in Fig- 4- The DllIDOSe 0f the following the sizingv operation. sprocket til will be made manifest hereinafter. 35

Referring specifically to the drawings, the nu- FiXed upon the Shafts 38, 30, and 39, leSDeC- meral lll is used to designategenerally `the sizer tively, are/Sizing IOllel'S "Ui, l5, and lt, these rollillustrated therein. `This machine includes base ers being preferably equipped With brush bristles frame plates l2 and i3 which have secured upon 011 their DeripherieS and are preferably Of the 40 other faces thereof cast frame members Ill and Same diameter. 40 it, respectively. These frame members have Freely rotatable on shafts 26 and 2l are double swing shaft bearings I6 and ll, respectively, cam ten-tooth sprockets 18 and 19. Fixed on the front shaft bearings i3 and I9, respectively, and stavend of the shaft 3U is a driven sprocket 32 and a tionary roller bearings 20 and 2l, respectively. drive sprocket 83. Chained about the sprocket Journalied in lthe bearings is and li are swing 83 and the front wheels 0f the sprockets 18 and 45 shafts it and 2l, journaled in bearings I8 and I9 79 iS a Chain 35. Aligned with the rear wheels are cam shafts 28 and 29, and journaled in bearof the sprockets 'i8 and i9 and fixed UDOD the ings 29 and 2l is a flxedroller shaft 38. shafts 38 and 39, respectively, are an eleven-tooth Fixed upon the front ends of shafts 26 and 2l Sprocket 38 and an eight-tooth sDIOCke 39 are swing arms 341 and upon the rear ends of these last mentioned sprockets being connected 50 these shafts are xed swing arms 35. The lower by chains 9U and 9|, respeetively t0 the rear' ends of the swing arms 34 and 35 have bearings Wheels of double sprockets 'i8 and 79. The .it and 3l, respectively. Journalled in the bearsprocket 82 is connected by a chain 93 to aings tti andai are swing roller shafts 38 and 39. sprocket (not shown) 0f any source of rotary The swing arms 35 are preferably alike and the power. By the sprocket and chain system thus 55 employed it is seen that the roller 14 is rotated at a slightly slower speed than the roller 15, Whereas the roller 16 is rotated at a faster speed than the roller 15.

Positioned for receiving fruit or other rollable objects from the sizer l0 is a discharge conveyor 94, there being a drop board supported on the shaft 39 `and on the conveyor 94 as clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. Rigidly supported by the frame plates |2 and I3 is a drop board 91 and a roller conveyor 98 supported on and driven by a shaft 99 and which delivers fruit to the drop board 91. 'I'he shaft 99 carries a gear |00 diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4, this gear meshing with a pinion |0| which is directly connected axially with a sprocket |02, the sprocket |02 being connected by a chain |03 with the sprocket lmounted on the rear end ofthe shaft 28.

Operation The shaft 28 is shownl as broken off in Fig. 2 at its rear end, this rear end extending back to where it is provided with suitable driven means (not shown) by which this shaft is rotated. The rotation of the shaft 28 times the operation of the sizer |0, actuates the feeding of fruit thereto, the delivery of fruit therefrom, and the sizing of the fruit while it is in the machine. The shaft 28 is rotated, of course, so that the rubber cleanout fingers 65 and 66 swing in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. 'I'he conveyor 98 is thusdriven from the shaft 28 at such a speed that a row of fruit is fed to the sizer |0 just as the clean-out members 65 and 66 reach their lowermost positions. To explain the operation of the machine, the rows of fruit shown therein in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 will be identified as rows F1, F2, F, F, and F5.l

In Fig. 4 row F5 has just been delivered by the clean-out fingers 66 onto the drop board 95, row F4 has just been delivered into the trough between the rollers 15 and 16 by the clean-out iingers 65, and the row F3 has just been delivered into the trough between the rollers 14 and 15 by the conveyor 96. Throughout the operation, of course, the sizer rollers 14, 15, and 16 are constantly rotating at a fairly high speed.

It will be noted that the rows F1, F2, and l3 have fruit varying widely in diameter, whereas all the fruit 4up to a certain diameter has been eliminated from row F4 and all the fruit up to a still larger diameter has been eliminated from the row F5. This is because rows F1, F2, and l5'3 have not yet been sized in the machine I0 but row F* has been sized once and row F5 two times.

When the rollers 14, 15, and 16 are positioned as shown in Fig. 4 the cams 60 are as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, andas the `shafts 28'and 29 'ontinue to rotate these cams engage the rollers 51 and swing the arms 34 outwardly to increase the spacings between the roller 15 and the rollers 14 and 16. As shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the roller 16 is spaced farther from the roller 15 than theA roller 14 is spaced. This is due to adjustment effected by means of rotating one or both of the adjustment cams 46 Ion their respective shafts 26 and 21. This relative spacing of the rollers 14 and 16 from the roller 15 when the outerV rollers are in their inwardmost positions Jis significant as each rotation of the cams 60 merely moves the rollers 14 and 16 outwardly given distances from their inwardmost positions and then returns these to their inwardmost positions. It is thus seen .that whatever theA inwardmost positions of the rollers 14 and 16 are before they are swung outwardly determines the spacing from the roller 15 which they will have in their outwardmost positions. This spacing determines the sizes of fruit which will be permitted to drop between the roller 15 and the outer rollers 14 and 16.

Fig. 5 ilustrates the result of the rollers 14 and 16 being spread laterally from the roller 15, this spreading permitting all size`s of fruit in row F3 which are smaller than the spacing of rollers 14 and 15 to drop downwardly into a suitable chute |05 disposed therebeneath for receiving this sized fruit. On the other hand, all pieces of fruit in row F4 smaller than the spacing of the rollers 15 and 16 drop down into a chute |06 provided to receive this. The fruit is thus segregated into different sizes, one group going in the chute |05 and the other group in, the chute |06 and the third group passing over ithe drop board-95 onto the discharge conveyor 94. l

When the rollers 14 and 16 start to swing inwardly from their outermost position, as shown in Fig. 5, the lowermost pieces of fruit in each of the rows F3 and F4 are disposed almost directly between the rollers. Owing to the rollers 15 rotating at a greater speed than the roller 14, however, and likewise the roller 16 at a greater speed than the roller 15, these lowermost pieces of fruit in rows F3 and F4 are lifted up as the rollers come together without any damage to the fruit. Thus, the rollers 14 and 16 are quickly returned to their close order position as shown in Fig. 6 and the rows F3 and F4 are assembled in elevated position ready to be engaged by the clean-out fingers 65 and 66 to discharge the row F* onto the discharge conveyor 94 and push the row F0 over into the trough between the rollers 15 and 16. As this is done, of course, the row Fz will be discharged by the feed conveyor 98 into the flrst sizing trough from which the row F3 will just have been removed.

- What I claim is:

1. In combination: a pair of parallel sizing rollers spaced to form a trough; means for rotating said rollers in a common direction and at unequal peripheral speeds, that roller the surface of which rises adjacent said trough having the greater peripheral speed; means for feeding rows of rollable bodies successively into said trough;

means for increasing the spacing of said rollers while each such row is resting in said trough to permit such articles, as are of less diameter than said increased spacing, to pass between said rollers and then to decrease said spacing to its original extent; and means to remove the articles remaining in said trough at the conclusion of the aforesaid cycle of operation.

2 HIn combination: a frame; a pair of parallel sizing members, one of'which has a ilxeclfpositionl on said frame, said members cooperating to form a. sizing trough; means for rotating one of said members so that the surface thereof adjacent said trough rises upwardly; means for shifting one of said members away from and towards the other; means for removing a row of rollable artii tattili vmember being operated in timely relation lov ing in width; means to feed articles to said trough; and means tor lifting articles from said trough, the last two means being operative as stated Ain timed relation to each other and at the closest approach of said rollers during each cycle ot movement oi said second roller. Y Y

6. A combination as in claim 5 in which means is provided for rotating said rollers so that the net eiect 'oi contact oi said rollers with an article resting in saidjtrough vis to lift said article lo 

